Wildland Fire Management Associate Degree

Blaze your trail to a rewarding career in wildland fire management at Clackamas Community College 

Required classes for the Wildland Fire Management Associate Degree

The job outlook for wildland fire management professionals is hot

The growing threat of wildfires isn't the only area where skilled professionals are needed. The demand for skilled emergency medical technicians is also surging nationwide. This program provides a strong foundation for both! When you graduate, you will be prepared to choose from fulfilling careers on the frontlines of wildland fire management, or in a variety of other emergency medical settings, from ambulance services to fire departments and hospitals.

Skills you will gain for a wildland fire management career 

Clackamas Community College's Wildland Fire Management Degree program equips you with a critical skill set to thrive in this demanding field. Here's what you should gain:

Decision-making under pressure

• Hazard assessment: Learn to identify and evaluate risks in wilderness, forest and fire environments.
• Firefighting strategy and tactics: Develop the ability to design effective plans based on specific fire or incident situations.

Leadership and communication

• Incident command: Gain the skills to supervise and direct fire crews at different organizational levels.
• Effective communication: Learn clear and concise communication with team members and other personnel to ensure mission success.

Operational expertise

• Firefighting tactics: Learn how to execute fire management plans, using appropriate strategies and tactics to achieve incident objectives.

Learn EMT skills to save lives

While earning your Wildland Fire Management Degree, you will gain the hands-on skills and knowledge to act as a vital part of the emergency medical care system. You should learn to:

• Assess patients accurately: Identify critical signs and symptoms to effectively evaluate a variety of conditions.
• Perform life-saving interventions: Administer CPR, oxygen therapy and control bleeding according to EMT protocols.
• Make sound decisions under pressure: Base your actions on clinical knowledge, guidelines and ethical standards.
• Communicate effectively: Build trust and rapport with patients from diverse backgrounds.
• Uphold professionalism and ethics: Maintain a high standard of conduct in all situations.
• Commit to lifelong learning: Stay up to date on the latest practices to continuously improve your skills.

This program goes beyond book learning, providing hands-on experience to solidify your skills and prepare you for real-world fire and lifesaving scenarios.

Investing in your future

Clackamas Community College offers some of the lowest tuition rates in the Portland metro area. To begin building the cost for your program, you can start with the base estimate below. 

This estimate includes the cost of tuition and the general fees applied per class and per academic term. This estimate does not include additional fees required for many courses or the cost of course materials. Contact the program to learn more about additional costs that may apply. 

You can also find more information about the costs of attending CCC on the Tuition and Fees page.

Get help paying for college

Scholarships and grants (free money!) are available for students in this program. For help with financial aid and scholarships, contact the Financial Aid Resource Lab.  

Applying to the EMT Career Pathway 

The EMT program, which is part of the Wildland Fire Management AAS degree, has its own application. Applying to the EMT program is a simple three-step process.

1. Review all the information on the Emergency Medical Technician Career Pathway page

2. Meet with a health science advisor prior to applying to the program. The advisors will help answer pre-requisite program requirements.

• Tracy Pantano-Rumsey, academic advisor
  tracy.pantanorumsey@clackamas.edu, 503-594-6131
• Phil Reid, academic advisor
  philr@clackamas.edu, 503-594-0623

3. Answer all of the questions on the application and submit the application form.

You will be notified via email by Allied Health Admissions on the status of your application along with next steps in the process by July 20.

Students completing the Wildland Fire AAS are required to complete the EMT-105 course (Wildland Fire AAS year one), prior to applying for EMT-101, EMT-102 program (Wildland Fire AAS year two). Students who are in good standing and on track to complete their Wildland Fire AAS degree, will be given preference when selecting the Fall-Winter term EMT cohort.

Note: Conditionally accepted students will be invited to participate in a mandatory orientation at the Harmony campus on Aug. 21, 2024. More information will be provided in acceptance letters.

For more information on the application process and program requirements, view the EMT Advising Guide (PDF).

Preparation before entering the program ensures success

While completing your Wildland Fire Management Degree, you will also earn our Emergency Medical Technician Career Pathway Certificate. This program equips you with the essential skills and knowledge to be a first responder.

As part of the EMT-101 and EMT-102 program students must attend a mandatory orientation. During the orientation, you will start the process for completing all non-academic requirements. 

Please start collecting your vaccine records for the below list of immunizations and if accepted, be prepared to submit documentation during the orientation. 

Eligibility requirements:

• 18 years of age (by the time you take EMT-102)
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Immunizations (MMR, Varicella, Tdap, Hep B, COVID-19, flu) 
• Tuberculosis test
• Criminal background check
• Drug screen

Note: A criminal background check requires a Social Security number. Students will start the criminal background check process during the orientation and upload vaccine records. 

Prerequisite courses (Must be taken prior to the start of the EMT-101 and EMT-102 program with a “C” or better) 

• EMT-105 Introduction to Emergency Medical Services (online course) 
• WRD-098 or Placement into WR-121Z Composition I  
• MTH-060 Algebra I or Placement into MTH-065 (or higher)

Essential functions 

• Strength and mobility: EMTs should be able to lift at least 125 pounds and push at least 50 pounds.  They must have the stamina, endurance and flexibility to repeatedly lift, bend and kneel.
• Balance and coordination: EMTs should have excellent fine motor skills and steady hands. They should be able to move around and perform tasks in small areas. EMTs climb and descend stairs while carrying patients and provide care in a moving vehicle.
• Communication: EMTs must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with their patients and other health care providers.
• Sensory: EMTs must have good vision and hearing to assess, treat and safely transport patients.
• Health: EMTs must stay current with all immunizations, and pass a basic physical assessment and drug screening.
• Mental skills: EMTs need to have a good memory, and focus without getting distracted for more than an hour. They must be able to think critically using logic, judgment and reasoning to treat patients properly.